Dust (character)

Publication history

Sooraya Qadir, alias Dust, was created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Ethan Van Sciver for the comic book series New X-Men #133 (December 2002). Dust has since appeared in various X-Men related comic book series, miniseries, and storylines.

Fictional character biography

Origin

Sooraya Qadir is a Pashtun Muslim from Kandahar, Afghanistan, who possesses the mutant ability to transform into a sand-like substance. The character's origin story depicts her being kidnapped by slavers who attempt to remove her religious head covering, the niqab. This event triggers Sooraya's mutant power for the first time, killing her attackers. After being rescued by Wolverine and Fantomex, Sooraya enrolls at the Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Leadership, a school dedicated to training mutants to control their powers and coexist with humanity.

After leadership of the school goes to Emma Frost and Cyclops, Sooraya is made a member of the Hellions training squad. After Sooraya's squad wins the field day competition and the academic year ends, Hellion invites the Hellion Squad to his home in Los Angeles for summer vacation. While there, the Hellion Squad encounters the Kingmaker, a powerful criminal with the power to make "dreams come true" through favors and connections, but for whom favors are expected in return. The Kingmaker finds Sooraya's mother and arranges for a trip back to Afghanistan so that Sooraya can reunite with her. She is soon flown back to L.A. to deliver on her part of the deal; stealing an advanced bio-weapon, which she later learns will be sold to Doctor Octopus in New York. The Hellions break their deal with the Kingmaker and end up destroying the weapon.

Decimation

During the events of "Decimation", the Scarlet Witch removes the powers of over 90% of the mutant population, thereby reducing the population of Xavier's student body to only 27 students (including Dust). Sooraya and Wallflower are targeted by William Stryker's crusade against the Xavier Institute, as Nimrod has informed Stryker that the two pose a significant threat to him. Wallflower is killed, but Dust survives and goes on to take down most of Stryker's Purifiers by herself.

Young X-Men

Main article: Young X-Men

Sometime after Cyclops disbands the institute, Sooraya returns to Afghanistan. Shortly afterwards, Cyclops asks her to return to New York to join his new team of Young X-Men. Unaware that "Cyclops" is actually Donald Pierce in disguise, the Young X-Men proceed with their first mission to take down a new Brotherhood of Mutants supposedly composed of the original New Mutants. In the ensuing battle against Magma, a blast of flame turns Dust's sand form into glass. Sooraya's glass form is later shattered in a battle between Donald Pierce and Graymalkin. However, Magma uses her powers to return the glass back into sand and Sooraya is able to revert to human form.

During a conversation with the now-incarcerated Pierce, Sooraya reveals to him that she is dying. It is later revealed that her body is gradually transforming back into glass, with Beast giving her less than a week to live. Dust ultimately dies despite Beast's efforts to save her. Shortly before Dust is to be buried, Ink uses his Phoenix Force tattoo to revive her, with the strain leaving Ink catatonic.

Post-Schism

Initial solicits for the post-Schism X-Men split show Dust siding with the majority of younger X-Men and moving to Westchester as part of Wolverine's team. She initially sides with Wolverine's team, but ultimately chooses to remain with Cyclops' faction.

Characterization

In line with Sooraya's character as a traditional Muslim, she chooses to don a loose-fitting black dress, with a niqab covering her face. Sooraya explains to her mother that she dresses this way because of the modesty it affords her from men. Her mother is happy that she lives somewhere where she is able to make those choices.

Powers and abilities

Dust is a transmorph, able to transform herself into an explosive cloud of sand-like silicon particles and maintain control of her sand form. She can reform her normal body at will or maintain an aerial based sand form in the shape of her human body. Her sandstorm form is resistant to most forms of injury. The form makes her hard to detect telepathically, according to Jean Grey and Professor X. She is also resistant to magic. She can use the form to attack, for instance, scouring the flesh from her enemies' bones like a sandstorm as well as enter people's lungs and scouring them from the inside.

Reception

Critical reception

Peter Eckhardt of CBR.com called Dust one of the "favorite characters with connections to the 616 AAPI community," writing, "Qadir's Sunni Muslim faith is a critical part of her character. She's depicted almost exclusively wearing traditional Muslim dress consisting of a niqab atop an abaya. Although her faith occasionally creates conflict with other characters, Qadir's faith remains strong and makes her one of the most positive representations of Muslim women in speculative fiction." Marc Buxton of Den of Geek said, "We have the devout Muslim warrior Dust, one of the bravest X-Men to join Xavier’s team in the 21st century. When a slave trader forcibly tried to remove her niqab, Sooraya Qadir manifested her power to turn her body into sand and flayed him alive. Dust remains one of X-Men’s bravest, using her unwavering faith and powers to help other young mutants. For Dust, her eyes tell the whole story, of faith and pain, of belief and bravery."

Accolades

• In 2014, BuzzFeed ranked Dust 81st in their "95 X-Men Members Ranked From Worst To Best" list.
• In 2017, CBR ranked Dust 11th in their "15 Muslim Characters In Comics You Should Know" list.
• In 2017, Den of Geek included Dust in their "40 X-Men Characters Who Haven't Appeared in the Movies But Should" list.
• In 2020, CBR ranked Dust 7th in their "10 Most Powerful Members Of The Hellions" list.
• In 2021, Screen Rant included Dust in their "10 Most Powerful Members Of The Champions" list.
• In 2022, CBR ranked Dust 2nd in their "10 Best X-Men Mutants Who Haven't Been In A Movie Yet" list and 6th in their "X-Men: 10 Heroes Who'd Be Perfect Assassins" list.

Other versions

Although Dust is a character in the main Marvel Universe continuity (also called "Earth-616,"), she has also been depicted in other fictional universes and alternate futures.

House of M

An alternate universe version of Dust appears in House of M. This version is a member of the New Mutants and a close friend of Jubilee.

X-Men: The End

An alternate universe version of Dust appears in X-Men: The End. This version remained at the Xavier Institute as the caretaker of Cyclops and Emma Frost's children. During an attack on the institute, Dust encounters Madelyne Pryor, who kills and later impersonates her.

Young X-Men "End of Days"

In a dystopic future depicted in Young X-Men, Dust's soul is corrupted following her resurrection by Ink, leading her to attack the Xavier Institute and kill Ink, Wolverine, Graymalkin, and Emma Frost.

In other media

• Dust appears in Wolverine and the X-Men, voiced by Tara Strong.
• Dust makes a cameo appearance in Deadpool's ending in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds.
• Dust appears as a playable character in Marvel Contest of Champions.

References

References

1. ''[[New X-Men (2001 series). New X-Men]]'' #133 (December 2002)
2. ''[[New X-Men (2004 series). New X-Men]]'' (vol. 2) #2 (August 2004)
3. ''New X-Men'' (vol. 2) #23 (April 2006)
4. ''New X-Men'' (vol. 2) #25 (June 2006)
5. ''New X-Men'' (vol. 2) #27 (August 2006)
6. ''[[Young X-Men]]'' #1-6 (June - November 2008)
7. ''Young X-Men'' #7 (December 2008)
8. ''Young X-Men'' #8 (January 2009)
9. ''Young X-Men'' #11 (April 2009)
10. ''New X-Men: Hellions'' #2 (August 2005)
11. ''New X-Men'' (vol. 2) #39 (August 2007)
12. Eckhardt, Peter. (May 19, 2022). "10 Marvel Characters You Should Read For AAPI Month".
13. Buxton, Marc. (February 3, 2017). "40 X-Men Characters Who Haven't Appeared in the Movies But Should".
14. Perpetua, Matthew. (January 28, 2014). "95 X-Men Members Ranked From Worst To Best".
15. C. B. R. Staff. (February 3, 2017). "15 Muslim Characters In Comics You Should Know".
16. Stoye, Grant. (April 20, 2020). "X-Men: The 10 Most Powerful Members Of The Hellions, Ranked".
17. Lealos, Shawn S.. (September 19, 2021). "10 Most Powerful Members Of The Champions, Ranked".
18. Cunis, Peter. (July 19, 2022). "The 10 Best X-Men Mutants Who Haven't Been In A Movie Yet".
19. Lawrence, Casey. (February 27, 2022). "X-Men: 10 Heroes Who'd Be Perfect Assassins (Without Using Telepathy)".
20. ''Young X-Men'' #12 (May 2009)
21. "Dust / Sooraya Qadir Voice - ''Wolverine and the X-Men'' (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors.